


Avoidance

by semele



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-11 20:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semele/pseuds/semele
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon simply shows up, works like clockwork, always between second and fourth drink (except that one time after Florida, when he showed up after fifth, and things got ugly, they really should stop drinking so much, how about next week).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Avoidance

Alaric never calls.

Damon simply shows up, works like clockwork, always between second and fourth drink (except that one time after Florida, when he showed up after fifth, and things got ugly, they really should stop drinking so much, how about next week). Alaric doesn't ask how Damon knows; maybe Elena spies for him, concerned that solitary drinking is the first step on the bumpy and colorful road to alcoholism.

Or maybe he checks the school every night, just in case. It's not like either of them has anything better to do.

(That's not true, of course, Alaric remembers as he pours another round. Damon has heaps to do, a brother to find and all the windows to wash, and Ric has pseudo-parental responsibilities to escape, big deal, warrants a drink.)

“This is pretty pathetic,” says Damon, looking at his empty glass. “Getting hammered with your Civil War maps on every wall.”

“Can't get hammered at home. I'm a terrible role model even without it.”

“We could go to your loft.”

“Well, there are even more Civil War maps there.”

Damon lets out an utterly undignified sound and reaches for the bottle. He probably doesn't care where he gets hammered, and he says all those things just to be a troll, excellent strategy. The first rule of avoidance is: you don't talk about things you're avoiding.

“You could at least make yourself useful and tell me about the war. Or I could invite you here during the day, so you could tell the kids. Only without the pornographic details.”

“Those are the best details. You know, like that one time when I was naked and...”

“I don't want to know.”

“Your loss.”

There isn't much to talk about after that, topics forbidden: Jenna, Stefan, Klaus, hangover, bills, Elena. There are a few questions Ric would like to ask, next week, perhaps, or next bottle, not sure, whatever. He fixes his eyes on Gettysburg as he downs another shot, and watches the battle lines blur nicely. There' is a metaphor somewhere in this, he's pretty sure there is, and he makes a mental note to ask Damon when they're drunk enough. With any luck he'll quote Byron and embarrass himself completely.

When Alaric goes to the empty locker he recently started using for bottle storage, he tries very hard not to remember about the groceries Elena wants him to pick up in the morning.


End file.
